“The idea is to reduce health care costs and improve outcomes by better coordinating the care for the homeless, and to help find and maintain stable housing for them. It’s an innovative health approach…”

(Shinrin-yoku or “Forest Bathing” was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. Researchers primarily in Japan and South Korea have established a robust body of scientific literature on the health benefits of spending time under the canopy of a living forest. Now their research is helping to establish shinrin-yoku and forest therapy throughout the world.

The idea is simple: if a person simply visits a natural area and walks in a relaxed way there are calming, rejuvenating and restorative benefits to be achieved.)

It should come as no surprise by now that walking among trees has health benefits. Shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” is a (form of healthcare-to-wellness) practice in Japan, where people are encouraged to visit and spend time in a forest to improve their health.

“[S]tudies have confirmed that spending time within a forest setting can reduce psychological stress, depressive symptoms, and hostility, while at the same time improving sleep and increasing both vigor and a feeling of liveliness,” reports Mother Earth News. “These subjective changes match up nicely with objective results reported in nearly a dozen studies involving 24 forests—lower levels of cortisol and lower blood pressure and pulse rate.”

Just the smell of trees has health benefits. “Chemicals secreted by trees, known as phytoncides, have been linked with improved immune defense as well as a reduction in anxiety and increase in pain threshold,” reports Slate in an article on the health benefits of nature.

Studies have also shown that children with ADHD who play in a green outdoor environment, rather than an indoor or constructed environment, show a decrease in their symptoms.

Even just living around more trees means a healthier overall mental state. A recent study showed that Londoners who live near trees take fewer antidepressants.

Of course, being in a forest also means there’s a certain amount of exercise going on. Exercise is a proven solution for many ailments including fatigue, depression, anxiety, and of course, obesity.

Combining the benefits of movement with the benefits of a forest setting is an extra-strong prescription for many health issues.

If there is one good thing you’re going to do for yourself today, perhaps it should be heading out the door to go take a walk in a forest or a tree-lined park.”

Posted onMay 5, 2015|Comments Off on Unemployed Young Adults and Depression Costs to All of U.S. (and Beyond)

“Young people leaving adolescence behind—so-called emerging adults—are 3 times more likely to be depressed if they are unemployed compared with peers who are working, a recent study reported.

Investigators analyzed data in the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from emerging adults aged 18 to 25 years who were not students. Those who scored 10 or more on the Patient Health Questionnaire—a screening questionnaire for mental health disorders—were classified as depressed. The analysis also took into account the potentially confounding variables of disabilities, smoking, body mass index, health insurance, and sociodemographic variables…”